Blogging as a Consultant or Freelancer

I will admit it right upfront: I think blogging is FABULOUS. It drives tons of traffic to us, it’s how many clients are introduced to us for the firs time, and it gives the sector great stuff to pass around (word of mouth marketing).

So what kind of blog should you write? Here are four options I think work well for consultants and freelancers.

The Toolbox Blog. This is the most common approach (and the one I mostly use), where you offer how-tos, tips, resources, etc. to help your potential clients do it themselves. When they realize they can’t, they come to you.

The News Blog. Search out and report on what others are doing. For example, if you are targeting environmental groups, report on new communications and marketing campaigns by other environmental groups.

The Advocacy/Opinion/Challenge Blog. Do you feel strongly that your target audience should be approaching communications in particular way? Use your blog to advocate that. Maybe your target audience is not embracing social media in ways you think they should, for example. You could write a blog that challenged people on the issues and advocated how they could make it work.

The Storytelling Blog. Share your experiences working with your clients. This requires a lot of cooperation from your clients of course, but if you can get them on board, it’s a wonderful way to show how you work. Use your clients not only for case studies, but get them to talk about the creative process, how it is to work with you and other creative professionals, etc.

What kind of blog do you write? Or what kind of blog might you write if you haven’t started yet?

http://www.grandjunctiondesign.com Margaux O’Malley

Hi Kivi! Thank for this post. It’s really well-timed, as I’ve just re-resolved (for the umpteenth time) to revive my blog. Looking back, I see I’ve written a fairly even split of toolbox, news and storytelling (not much advocacy/opinion/challenge). I think different audiences are drawn to each type of post. So before forging ahead, I will look at who is drawn to what kind of post, and ask myself who I want to attract. This will help me figure out what type of post should be my focus.

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Nonprofit Marketing Training

Need to know how to create content for your nonprofit clients, like writing a nonprofit annual report or email newsletter? Or putting together an editorial calendar for them? We cover these topics, and many, many more at Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com